Jose Tabata

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect in 2010
  The Pirates acquired Tabata (and Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen and Ross Ohlendorf ) in a July 2008 trade that sent Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady to the Yankees. After stalling in Double-A before the deal, Tabata regained his hitting form. His wife, 23 years his senior, was arrested in Florida last March on charges that she kidnapped a baby, but Tabata was not implicated. Tabata has a compact stroke and hits line drives to all fields. He has sound strike-zone judgment for a young hitter. He has enough range to play a passable center field but is better suited for right, where he can show off his above-average arm. He has slightly above-average speed. Tabata has yet to learn to put backspin on balls and hit them for power, though the Pirates are convinced he will. He has a thick lower half and will likely be a below-average runner once he's done filling out. The Yankees tired of his immature behavior, but he always has been one of the youngest players in his league and hasn't caused any problems for Pittsburgh. Tabata will begin 2010 back in Triple-A but figures to be in the majors at some point during the season. He has the potential to be an all-star right fielder if his power develops.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #3 prospect in 2009
  Once the Yankees' top position prospect, Tabata fell out of favor last April. Upset by a slow start, he left Double-A Trenton in the middle of a game and was suspended for three games. New York traded him along with Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and righthander Daniel McCutchen to acquire Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte in July. After recovering from a strained hamstring, Tabata regained his luster with a strong August. Tabata has strong, quick wrists, which make his current gap power likely to turn into home run pop as his body matures. He's an above-average defender who gets good jumps in center field and has the arm strength to play in right. He has average speed. Though Tabata didn't have any issues after the trade, he still has to live down a reputation for having attitude problems and being unreliable. He tends to chase breaking pitches out of the zone. He has slowed down as his body has matured and probably will end up as a below-average runner. The Pirates are leaning toward sending Tabata back to Double-A Altoona to start 2009, but he should reach Triple-A and perhaps the majors by the end of the year. They're convinced he can be a star, and he certainly looked like one after the trade.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #3 prospect in 2008
  Tabata was rolling along as one of the minors' brightest prospects until being hit on the right wrist by a pitch in July 2006. While he played some late that season and again in winter ball in Venezuela, he was never quite right and saw five different hand specialists to find a solution. He finally had surgery last August to remove the hamate bone in his right wrist. Despite his hand injury, Tabata was one of the high Class A Florida State League's top hitters, and he has a natural knack for making consistent hard contact. His wrist problem sapped some of his power, but scouts still project Tabata to have at least average pop, and some even see him more as a slugger than hitter. While he flashes plus speed, he projects as an average runner and right fielder with a solid average arm. Tabata's offensive future still involves some projection, and there's some concern his thickening body could lose some athleticism, rendering him more one-dimensional. Scouts outside the organization chide him for failing to give a consistent effort. While he has flaws, Tabata also has upside and will play in Double-A as a teenager this year. Ideally, he'd be ready to replace Bob Abreu in right field in 2009, but that might be too ambitious a timetable if his power doesn't develop.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #2 prospect in 2007
  After signing for $550,000, Tabata raised expectations with an impressive debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2005. He was having a rousing encore at low Class A Charleston in 2006 before a thumb injury effectively ended his season in July. Some hitters just seem to be born with the innate ability to get the fat part of the bat to the ball quickly, consistently and with power. That's Tabata. He has the bat speed to catch up to good fastballs and drive any pitch to any part of the park. His other tools are at least average, as he has flashed plus speed and arm strength. His coaches praise his ability to compete and rise to the occasion. Because he makes such easy contact, Tabata doesn't walk much, though he improved as the season went on. Scouts have noticed that he tends to coast and turn his talent on and off. His lower half already has thickened somewhat, and some think he could lose significant athleticism and speed as he gets older, relegating him to left field instead of right. Tabata was healthy enough to return to the field in the Venezuelan League this winter, then had to leave early with wrist pain. A healthy Tabata should be poised for a breakout 2007 season. He has the talent to reach New York by the end of 2008.
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  Ranked New York Yankees #3 prospect in 2006
  Only Braves shortstop Elvis Andrus was younger than Tabata in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last year. He signed for $550,000 and had an exciting debut performance that included a league-best 22 stolen bases. Tabata has plus tools across the board and stands out from young peers such as C.J. Henry and Austin Jackson because of his advanced approach at the plate. He has exceptional hand-eye coordination (he was the second-hardest player to strike out in the GCL) and his swing already puts backspin on the ball to generate loft. That and his plus-plus bat speed have club officials projecting big power. The Yankees are excited about Tabata's total package and see the cultural adjustments of living in the United States and speaking English as his biggest obstacles. He's a center fielder with plus speed now, but as he fills out he should lose a step or two and move to right field, where his arm will fit fine. Tabata's bat is advanced enough to earn him a spot at low Class A Charleston for his full-season debut. His ceiling is as high as any Yankees minor leaguer since Alfonso Soriano.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #16 prospect in 2010
  Promoted to Pittsburgh in June, Tabata led Pirates regulars in hitting with a .299 average. He uses a short stroke and makes consistent line-drive contact. He still needs to develop some power, especially because Andrew McCutchen has pushed him from center to left field, and has to make adjustments against lefthanders, who had surprising success against him in both the minors and majors. Tabata has slightly above-average speed and knows how to use it, swiping 44 bases between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. He has the tools to be an asset in PNC Park's spacious left field, with plus range and arm strength. His throwing accuracy could use some improvement.
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  Ranked Eastern League #15 prospect in 2009
  Tabata has been a fixture on prospect lists since he was a 17-year-old in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2005. Since then, he has been traded (by the Yankees to the Pirates), endured questions about his makeup and effort, and had a controversy in spring training when his wife--who's more than twice his age--was arrested for kidnapping. Through it all, Tabata has maintained impressive tools. He has an above-average bat with good offensive instincts, the ability to stay inside the ball and a willingness to use the whole field. He's a slightly above-average runner, but his ultimate value will depend on how much power he develops, as he totaled just five homers in 2009. He's an average defender in center field with a strong arm, and once Gorkys Hernandez arrived in the Pirates system, Tabata saw more time in right field. "He's a corner guy, and I believe the power will come," Walbeck said. "He has the swing and an ability to raise his level of play against better competition. The last piece is learning to backspin the ball."
• 
  Ranked International League #13 prospect in 2009
  abata maintained his focus during a tumultuous offseason, which included his wife being arrested for kidnapping, and continued to thrive in the Pirates system after the Yankees included him in a trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte last summer. He overcame a hamstring injury to rank among the top prospects in both the Eastern and International leagues. Using a line-drive approach, Tabata drives the ball to all fields. He has flashed power potential, but it has yet to translate on the field. He combined to hit just five homers between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis. "As he continues to mature and evolve as a hitter, the power is going to be there," Indianapolis manager Frank Kremblas said. "The power will be something that continues to develop." Whether Tabata has the power to play a corner outfield will be his biggest question going forward. He has average speed and played a solid if unspectacular center field--a position Andrew McCutchen won't give up in Pittsburgh. Tabata has a strong arm that will fit nicely in right.
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  Ranked Eastern League #12 prospect in 2008
  No player in the EL generated more split opinion than Tabata, who had a miserable first half with Trenton. He seemed overmatched by Double-A pitching and was disciplined twice for detrimental content. Scouts derided him for his lack of hustle and general negative body language, and many thought he couldn't handle the pressure of being a top Yankees prospect. Then he went to the Pirates in a deal for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. After missing a month with a hamstring injury, Tabata returned in August with Altoona and went on a season-ending tear that salvaged his season. Managers who saw him in the final month raved about his tools (including average to a tick above-average speed), emerging power, hustle and even his defense, as he played well in center field. "He drives it and he's not a hacker," Beyeler said. "He really benefited from the hamstring injury," Leiper said. "It allowed him to step away and get back to basics. He showed an advanced approach. You can't really go to the same spot against him too much. He's just a real good hitter."
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  Ranked Florida State League #9 prospect in 2007
  Tabata had a breakout performance as an 17-year-old in low Class A last year, and added to his prospect luster with an outstanding at-bat against fellow Yankee Philip Hughes in the Futures Game. His power numbers were down in 2007, but that can be attributed to a damaged hamate bone in his right hand. The hand injury makes his ability to hit .307 in high Class A all that much more impressive. He showed a good batting eye, and league observers believe he'll develop plus power as he matures and recovers his full health. Though he's still a teenager, Tabata already is getting thick in his lower half, which has sapped his speed. He's now a below-average runner who'll have to watch his weight as he gets older, and he's an average right fielder with an average arm.
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  Ranked South Atlantic League #2 prospect in 2006
  Though a thumb injury cost him most of the second half, Tabata's offensive prowess was quite evident. He models his game after Manny Ramirez, and that's the name scouts and managers bring up most when discussing Tabata's potential. He has an extremely advanced hitting approach with a swing geared to drive the ball to right-center field. He possesses a sound two-strike plan and his strikeout-walk ratio improved every month. Though he hit just five home runs, scouts see 30-homer potential. With arm strength and speed that are both a tick above average, Tabata profiles perfectly in right field. He sometimes has problems coming in to field grounders and his routes on fly balls need improvement. There are some mild concerns about his body language on the field, but it has yet to affect his performance.
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  Ranked Florida Complex League #7 prospect in 2005
  With Tabata in left, Austin Jackson in center and Wilkins de la Rossa in right, the Yankees had the most prospect-laden outfield in the GCL. All three have the speed, range and arm strength to play center. With 6.5-second speed in the 60-yard dash and a powerful stride, Tabata led the GCL with 22 stolen bases. Tabata, a Venezuelan who played most of the season at age 16, has the highest upside of the three. Though he still tends to give at-bats away, he had the best approach at the plate of the trio. Tabata is powerfully built and his home run potential will evolve with experience.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #75 prospect in 2009
• Ranked Baseball America's #37 prospect in 2008
• Ranked Baseball America's #27 prospect in 2007

• December, 2009 Scouting Report
  The Pirates acquired Tabata (and Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen and Ross Ohlendorf ) in a July 2008 trade that sent Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady to the Yankees. After stalling in Double-A before the deal, Tabata regained his hitting form. His wife, 23 years his senior, was arrested in Florida last March on charges that she kidnapped a baby, but Tabata was not implicated. Tabata has a compact stroke and hits line drives to all fields. He has sound strike-zone judgment for a young hitter. He has enough range to play a passable center field but is better suited for right, where he can show off his above-average arm. He has slightly above-average speed. Tabata has yet to learn to put backspin on balls and hit them for power, though the Pirates are convinced he will. He has a thick lower half and will likely be a below-average runner once he's done filling out. The Yankees tired of his immature behavior, but he always has been one of the youngest players in his league and hasn't caused any problems for Pittsburgh. Tabata will begin 2010 back in Triple-A but figures to be in the majors at some point during the season. He has the potential to be an all-star right fielder if his power develops.